In a clamping roller overrunning clutch known, for example, from GB-B 1,125,636, the spring means is a leaf spring bent in the form of an arc whose ends spring load the rollers. In the axial direction, the leaf spring is supported centrally on a crossbar and this means that this leaf spring is subjected to the maximum bending load in its central support contact. It has been observed in such spring arrangements that a strong setting of the spring elements takes place during operation which means that the spring force or the residual spring travel available until the block state of the spring is reached is no longer adequate for assuring a satisfactory spring loading of the clamping rollers. In such cases, a malfunctioning of the overrunning clutch can occur which is undesirable under all circumstances.
Residual spring travel designates the travel of the spring which remains after the setting of the spring from an unloaded starting position until the reaching of the block state. Due to the high dynamic bending load (the lever arm of the force between the point of force application and the point of support in the support contact is approximately half the leaf spring length), breaking of such spring elements has also been observed.